Ivan Ejub Kostić (; born 1979) is a Serbian political scientist and islamologist at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade. His research centers on contemporary Islamic political thought, Muslim communities in Southeast Europe, and minority rights.
Early life and education Kostić was born in 1979 in Belgrade. His parents were composer Voki Kostić and actress Stanislava Pešić. He studied Arabic language and literature at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade. Later, he earned his PhD in political science from the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Political Sciences. During his studies, he converted to Islam and adopted the middle name Ejub.
Career Kostić is a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, where he co-coordinates the Research Group for Religious Studies. In addition to his primary academic appointment, he is also the executive director of the Balkan Center for the Middle East and edits the digital publishing platform Algoritam.
His research focuses on contemporary Islamic political thought, religious life and Muslim communities in Southeast Europe.
Views Kostić emphasizes that Bosniaks in the Sandžak region have historically sought to act as a constructive state-building factor in Serbia by consistently offering a hand of reconciliation despite facing systemic marginalization and securitization. He argues that extremist groups like ISIS have hijacked Islamic teachings and act as terrorists who hold the broader Muslim world hostage and adds that terrorism should not be conflated with Islam, noting that militant ideologies distort traditional concepts like jihad into aggressive political agendas.
He characterizes Israel as an expansionist regional actor which enjoys full political, military and intelligence backing from the United States and the European Union. Kostić stated that escalations against Iran are part of a broader Western and Israely strategy aimed at causing the collapse of Iran, comparing it to Libya and Syria.
Selected publications
See also
Serb Muslims
References